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Praise for PNI

The Promise Neighborhoods Institute has been amazing to work with. They’ve provided us with not only technical assistance—brain power, thinking through how do you actually implement the strategy, how do you think about moving community-level needles, how do you use data—from that really theoretical piece to the nitty-gritty, on-the-ground providing tools. Actual meaningful tools like ETO and the Promise Scorecard so we don’t have to start from scratch and re-invent the wheel.

“[PNI has] been invaluable. Going back to when we were applying for the planning grant in 2010, I really don’t think we could have done it without the national TA support and being part of the PNI network. [PNI] has really been critical, and I wish other federal initiatives had that level of TA support because it’s been fantastic.”

Dixon Slingerland, Executive Director, Youth Policy Institute

Los Angeles Promise Neighborhood, Los Angeles, CA

“Coming here has accelerated our work. Where we’re at now we probably wouldn’t have been at in five years. We talk about leadership—without the Promise Neighborhood convening, without STAR leadership, without other Promise Neighborhoods Institute pieces, having TA assistance, we would still be stuck in idea mode, and now we’re in implementation mode.”

“You’re trying to change lives, change communities for the better. Sometimes you feel like you’re on an island by yourself. What the Institute does is brings us together to let us know that we’re not alone…and it gives us hope. That’s the great thing about the Institute: it imparts hope.”

“Being part of a community of practice that is really spearheading an entire movement for creating better opportunities for children across the country is an extremely important piece to how we need to do our work…It is very difficult work. Sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged and so to be able to be in a collaborative community with other people who are doing similar work, facing similar challenges, but also sharing similar success…is very meaningful.”

“A lot of times when you do this type of work, you think you’re out there all by yourself, you think you’re alone, but the PNI has really brought us all together to help us understand the work that we’re doing really makes a difference not only in our own communities but across the nation.”

Tony Leverett, DirectorEastside Promise Neighborhood, San Antonio, TX

“Establishing that national support system has been really helpful, especially for somebody like myself that is on the younger side and not as experienced as many of the other great people who are a part of this work. It’s an opportunity for me to learn directly from them.”

“As part of our community of practice with the Promise Neighborhoods Institute we have been offered some incredible opportunities to practice adaptive leadership, to practice results-based leadership, and it has really driven the work that we’re doing in Hayward Promise Neighborhood. We have really embraced Results-Based Accountability. It has really focused us, it has focused our work…and it’s really making us more responsive to the results and indicators that we’re working with to achieve our results.”